Muscat: Contact lenses save us the hassles of wearing a pair of glasses. They can be better for sports activities, because they don’t break as frames and the lenses of glasses can. In some cases, contact lenses improve the quality of vision in comparison to eyeglasses, especially for a child who is very nearsighted.
But contact lenses should be used safely, responsibly, and only under the supervision of your eye care professional. It may result in eye infection or even blindness in some cases.
Contact lenses are transparent plastic lenses placed directly on the cornea of the eye for either therapeutic or cosmetic purposes.
Dr Talal Al Busaidi said contact lenses often cause acute corneal inflammation. He said he has treated 3 patients in one week, all under the age of 30. He added that contact lenses should be treated like any medicinal product, and their sale by non-specialists should be prohibited. He also emphasized the need to prohibit the import of lenses that do not comply with international standards.
Dr. Laila Mohammed, ophthalmologist, warned against the improper use of contact lenses or the use of cheap, low-quality contact lenses. She said of late there has been an increase in the number of optical lens companies, many of which offer poor quality lenses. This can lead to serious infections in the cornea of the eye and may alter its shape.
Dr Laila advised using high-quality lenses after consulting with an eye specialist first. She explained that contact lenses are divided into two types; soft and hard lenses. These can be used daily, weekly, monthly. Then there are cosmetic contact lenses that only change the iris color.
According to Dr Laila, the users should not clean contact lenses with tap water. They should use the sterilized solution sold at pharmacies for cleaning. She also advised against wearing contact lenses for more than 10 hours a day.
One must also wash hands thoroughly before touching the lenses. S/he must keep nails short to avoid scratching the cornea while placing the contact lenses on the cornea to avoid the risks of eye injury. Users must also avoid someone else's lenses.
Women must wear contact lenses before applying make-up to minimise contamination. Contact lenses should never be worn if redness or discharge occurs in the eye. Patients using contact lenses should consistently use moisturizing drops to prevent dry eyes.
Youssef al Muqbali, a parent, urged youths against purchasing lenses from non-medical outlets. He said before buying lenses one should be aware about the proper usage and potential risks associated with these medical products.
Safety Tips
1. Wash your hands before cleaning or inserting lenses.
2. Rub, rinse, clean and disinfect your contact lenses with the products and solutions recommended by your eye care professional.
3. Never expose your contact lenses to any kind of water or saliva.
4. Do not wear your lenses for longer than prescribed. Do not sleep in lenses unless they are prescribed to be used that way.
5. Never wear someone else’s lenses.
6. Always have a prescription for any lenses you wear.
7. When playing sports, wear safety goggles or glasses over your lenses.
8 Apply any cosmetics after inserting lenses. Remove your lenses before removing makeup.
9. In general, have a pair of back-up glasses handy.
10. If your eye is itching, burning, irritated or red, remove your lenses and contact your eye care professional.
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